Stump-puller



(No Model.)

H. B. DOOLITTLE.

STUMP PULLER.

No. 424,281. Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BLACK DOOLITTLE, OF DOOLITTLES MILLS, INDIANA.

STUMP-PULLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,281, dated March 25, 1890.

Application filed February 14, 1890. Serial No. 840,390. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY BLACK D00 LITTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Doolittles Mills, in the county of Perry and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Stump-Puller, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stump pullers more especially of that class in which the op erating or elevating mechanism is located upon a wheeled base, so that the entire device can be moved from place to place.

The object of the present invention is to provide a machine occupying but little space and consisting of but few parts, but which will be most powerful in operation in the pulling of stumps. This object I accomplish by my improved stump-puller, which consists, essentially, of two rising spiral tracks surrounding a base, a vertical shaft passing loosely through the center of said base, and two sweeps leading from the upper end of said shaft and carrying friction pulleys which travel up said spiral tracks when the sweeps are rotated by horse-power, as well as of the adjunctive and specific details of construction incident thereto which assist in the successful operation of said essential featuressuch, for instance, as the trucks on the base and the plate pivoted thereto carrying other trucks, whereby the whole device may be moved from place to place and certain auxiliaries which tend to enhance the value of the completed machine, all as hereinafter more fully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved stump-puller, showing the parts arranged in position ready for travel. Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the machine in the operation of pulling a stump. Fig. 3 is a top plan, and Fig. 4 a bottom plan, of the base; and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the switching mechanism.

The letter A designates the base, supported by any suitable meanssuch, for instance, as that hereinafter described-Which base is preferably circular in shape and may have a raised center B. Around the outer edge of this base is a circular track 0, and just inside this track, commencing at points D, which I will call the switches, are two upwardlyrising spiral tracks E, each making, preferably, about one complete convolution, and its inner and upper end standing inside the body of the other spiral track. Passing loosely through a central vertical hole in the raised portion B of the base is a long screw F, whose lower end is hooked, as shown, so that it can be attached by a chain or otherwise to the stump.

G are a pair of upwardly-inclined sweeps, which are provided at their under side with grooved wheels H, whose peripheries fit the tracks, and between the upper ends of the sweeps is located a U-shaped casting Lwhose ends are firmly bolted and braced to the up per ends of the sweeps and whose center has a threaded hole engaging the thread on the screw F, whereby, when the sweeps are turned so as to carry the grooved wheels H around the circular track G, the U-shaped nut or casting I will be turned to pass the screw up and down, but when the grooved wheels H ride up the inclined tracks E the casting and screw will be lifted bodily, as will be readily understood.

Mounted loosely upon the upper end of the screw F is a double hand-lever J, and pivoted to the arms of this lever are two pitman-rods K, whose outer ends are swiveled, as at L, upon the outer ends of shafts M. The latter are journaled atNin the bodies of the sweeps G, and may be also supported by additional journals 0 near their inner ends, and the grooved wheels H are mounted upon the inner ends of these shafts.

Referring now to Fig. 5, if the sweeps and grooved wheels are traveling in the direction of the arrow, it will be obvious that the handlever may be operated to slide the shafts of the grooved wheels longitudinally in their bearings, so that the wheels-may be switched off the circular track 0 and onto the lower end of the spiral tracks E, or may be allowed to continue their movements upon the circular track. It will thus be seen that the handlever controls the rate of ascent and descent of the screw, causing it. to be very rapid when the screw is raised bodily by the grooved wheels traveling up the spiral tracks and causing it to be comparatively slow when the sweeps go round and round, and each C0111- plete revolution of the nut I draws the screw upwardly only the distance of one of its threads. The horses or teams of horses are connected to the outer ends of the sweeps in any desired manner.

Referring to Fig. 4 of the drawings, the base of my improved stump-puller is in two pieces, the piece 1 being circular in shape and having a depending central tube 3, through which the screw passes, and the piece 2 being substantially triangular in shape and having an opening 4-, loosely mounted on the tube 3, its front and rear ends being preferably bent, as at 5, into small hooks loosely embracing the edge of the base. Each of these pieces 1 and 2 is provided with two down wardly-opening sockets 6, within which are inserted legs '7, and these legs carry wheels or rollers 8, preferably upon their outer sides, whereby the entire device may be drawn over the ground like a vehicle, and the movable portion 2 can be turned upon the stationary portion 1 of the base, the same as would the front axle of the vehicle, to divert the course of progress.

One of the sweeps is provided with lateral eyes 9, and the front sides of the two front legs 7 are also provided with eyes 10, and rods 11, having hooked ends, connect the eyes in the sweep with the eyes in the legs. vision is made for attaching the horses to this sweep, which then serves almost the same function as a vehicle-tongue, and the entire device can be easily and readily drawn from place to place, the sweep turning on the screw as the front portion 2 of the base turns on the tube 3, and the combined sweep, front legs, and front wheels serving all the purposes of the tongue, front axle, and front wheels of a vehicle. The device is drawn over the stump to be pulled, the horses detached, the hooked rods 11 removed, and the screw attached in any suitable manner-as by a chain, for instance-to the stump, after which the operation of pulling the stump takes place, as above described.

It will be understood that the above-described adj unctive and specific details of construction may be modified to a considerable extent and all auxiliaries omitted or changed entirely, if desired, without departing from the spirit of the invention; but their employment is preferable in order to render the machine finished in every detail and a perfect agricultural implement when put upon the market.

The stump-pulling mechanism may of course be supported upon any suitable base other than that described; but I consider the latter the best adapted for the purpose intended, and experience has taught me that its ready means of attachment to and detachment from one of the sweeps and the conversion of the latter, as it were, into a vehicle-tongue for drawing and guiding the whole device forms a very convenient, inexpensive, and ever-ready means for moving the device from place to place.

Pro-

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a stump-puller, the combination, with a base having two upwardly-rising spiral tracks and a raised center and a screw passing loosely through a vertical hole in said center, of a casting having a threaded hole engaging the screw at the upper side of said raised center, sweeps leading outwardly from said casting, and wheels carried by .said sweeps and engaging said tracks, substantially as described.

2. In a stump-puller, the combination, with abase having a circular track at its periphery and two u pwardly-rising spiral tracks within said circular track, a raised center upon said base, and a screw passing loosely through a vertical hole in said center, of a cast-ing having a threaded hole engaging the screw at the upper side of said center, sweeps leading outwardly from said casting, shafts moving longitudinally through said sweeps and journaled therein, and wheels carried upon the inner ends of said shafts and engaging said circular track or said spiral tracks, as and vertical hole in the center, of a casting having a threaded hole engaging the screw at the upper side of said center, sweeps leading outwardly from said casting, shafts 'journaled loosely in the sweeps, grooved wheels carried upon the inner ends of said shafts, and means, substantially as described, for moving said shafts longitudinally and simultaneously to switch said wheels from one'trackto another, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a stump-puller, the combination, with a base having a circular track at its periphery and two upwardly-rising spiral tracks within said circular track, a raised center upon said base, and a screw passing loosely through a vertical hole in the center, of a casting having a threaded hole engaging the screw at the upper side of said center, sweeps leading outwardly from said casting, shafts journaled loosely in the sweeps, grooved wheels carried upon the inner ends of said shafts and adapted to engage said tracks, a hand-lever mounted loosely upon said screw, and pitman-rods leading from the arms of said hand-lever outwardly and swiveled upon said shafts, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with a circular base having a depending tube at its center and stump-pulling devices, substantially as described, carried upon said base, of atriangular section journaled upon said tube and having its ends turned upwardly over the edges of said base, sockets in the base and in the section, legs seated in the sockets, and wheels carried by the legs, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a circular base having a depending tube at its center and base, and a screw passing loosely through a IIO tracks surrounding a base, a vertical shaft passing loosely through the base, and two sweeps leading from the shaft and carrying I 5 friction-rollers which travel on the tracks, as

set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY BLACK DOOLITTLE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE ASH, JAMES W. TRUSTY. 

